FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News media contact: Steve Bumgarner 336.722.9660 or [email protected]

Lowes Foods will offer pre-opening tours to the news media by appointment on February 2 from noon until 4 p.m. Please contact Steve Bumgarner at (336) 722-9660 or [email protected] to schedule a tour time.

Media and residents also are invited to join celebratory ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on February 3.

Store photos are available by request to Steve Bumgarner at (336) 722-9660 or [email protected]

Lowes Foods to Open Simpsonville Store on February 3 Watch the Countdown-to-Opening “Egg Drop Clock” at the Ribbon Cutting Celebration

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. (JANUARY 31, 2017) – Lowes Foods, a family owned Carolinas-based grocer, will celebrate the grand opening of its Simpsonville store with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Friday, February 3. The store is located in the Village Market-East shopping center on the northwest corner of Woodruff Road and Sunnydale Drive in Simpsonville’s Five Forks area. To count down to the opening, Lowes Foods will unveil a special “egg drop clock” in front of store. During moments leading up to the store opening, the egg will descend and will crack to reveal “now open” at the time of the ribbon cutting.

The Simpsonville store will be the first to feature The Cavern, a brew pub where Lowes Foods will brew its own beers. There will be indoor and outdoor seating areas where store guests can sip on these unique beers. With Sip & Shop, Guests can grab a pint while they do their routine shopping. This will augment the Beer Den, which offers an extensive craft beer collection, including numerous Carolinas-based beers. Guests can purchase 64 or 32 ounce growlers and then have them filled direct from the tap or purchase bottles to create their own favorite six packs.

“The welcome that Lowes Foods has received from the Greenville area community since the opening of our Greer store in September has been nothing short of phenomenal,” Lowes Foods president Tim Lowe said. “We at Lowes Foods feel that our Greer store has quickly become part of the fabric of the community, and we look forward to serving store guests in Simpsonville with equal passion for the local community.”

“We are very excited to debut The Cavern in Simpsonville,” Lowe added. “I hope local residents will join us at 4 o’clock on February 3 for a fun way to celebrate the opening of our Five Forks store.”

The Simpsonville store will include special concepts called Lowes Foods Originals.

 The Chicken Kitchen includes a variety of prepared chicken, including wings, fried, and rotisserie chicken. When hot chicken comes out of the rotisserie oven, Chicken Kitchen hosts perform a special version of the Chicken Dance and invite guests to join the fun.

 If Willy Wonka had made sausage instead of chocolate, his famous factory would have been SausageWorks at Lowes Foods. You can get anything from a traditional brat to wild and wacky flavors like bourbon and sweet tea or pumpkin.

 Pick & Prep is like having your own personal sous chef. Guests can pick the fruits and vegetables they want, and the trained professionals will slice, dice, or julienne.

 The Cakery features frosting made with real butter and real cream and opportunities to join in The Cakery Walk. A whimsical bakery where being square is incredibly cool, The Cakery features “Scrumptiouslyumptiously” delicious square cakes in a variety of sizes.

 Boxcar Coffee & Chocolates features an in-store roaster where green beans are custom roasted on-site, along with a variety of chocolate barks that are hand poured each day at the store. Guests can also sip on hand crafted coffee and teas while they shop.

 Breadcrumb brings the bakery experience to life by featuring fresh-baked artisanal breads that are hand- crafted, all natural and have no preservatives. Fresh-from-the-oven loaves are available from 4:30 pm- 7:30 pm every day – perfect to pick up for dinner.

 Smokehouse will offer daily rotations of wood-smoked meats – including beef, pork, chicken and salmon – using a variety of woods to infuse flavor.

 At Sammy’s the menu includes signature sandwiches that feature ingredients from the Lowes Foods Originals such as SausageWorks, Chicken Kitchen, and Smokehouse. There are also create your own sandwiches, pizzas, and paninis which can be heated and ready to eat in just 90 seconds.

A focal point of the store is the Lowes Foods Community Table, where shoppers can gather to sample, enjoy and be inspired to prepare new kinds of foods. The Community Table, which is constructed of reclaimed wood, also will offer events such as recipe sampling, crafts for children, and gluten free eating tips.

The store also offers the Lowes Foods-To-Go online personal shopping service. Guests can select their groceries online and the personal shoppers get to work. For pick up, guests drive through the Lowes Foods to Go pick up lane and the groceries are loaded into the car. Delivery is also available. It’s as easy as click and collect.

In addition to these offerings, the Simpsonville store features a wide assortment of organics, Certified Angus beef and Dry Aged beef, a clip-your-own herb garden and a fuel center.

Guests who shop at Lowes Foods in Simpsonville and Greer can use their Lowes Foods Fresh Rewards Card to receive a 5-cent per gallon discount for every $100 in-store spending at Lowes Foods. Gas Rewards can be redeemed at any Lowes Foods fuel center, including the new location in Simpsonville, and nearly 400 Speedway fuel stations in and .

Lowes Foods is located at the intersection of Suber Road and Hammett Bridge Road in Greer and is constructing a third Greenville-area location on southwest quadrant of Pelham and Boiling Springs Roads at 2702 Pelham Road that is slated to open in spring 2018.

About Lowes Foods Founded in 1954, Lowes Foods employs approximately 9,000 people and operates nearly 100 full-service in North Carolina, South Carolina and . Locally owned and operated, Lowes Foods is truly a homegrown company committed to bringing community back to the table, by providing customers with the freshest and most innovative local products from local suppliers. The company maintains a strong focus on exceptional attention to our guests, with services like Lowes Foods-To-Go personal shopping and gas rewards discounts. To learn more, visit lowesfoods.com or follow Lowes Foods on Facebook or Twitter. Lowes Foods, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alex Lee, Inc.

About Alex Lee, Inc. Founded in 1931, Alex Lee is a family-owned and operated company that employs approximately 10,000 people. It serves as the parent company of Merchants Distributors, LLC, which provides full-service, wholesale distribution to supermarkets. In addition, Alex Lee is the parent company of Lowes Foods, which includes nearly 100 full- service grocery stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as Just Save food stores in North Carolina. Alex Lee, Inc. is based in Hickory, NC.

For more information, please visit alexlee.com.

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